Claude Monet's Dans la Prairie Sells for $16,164,918 at Christie's Auction of Impressionist and Modern Art

LONDON - The Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale took place at Christie’s this evening and realized $91,210,543. The top price of the evening was paid for Claude Monet’s Dans la Prairie, 1876, which was exhibited at the seminal third Impressionist Exhibition in 1877 and which sold at this evening sale for $16,164,918. At this evening’s auction, 4 works of art sold for over Ł5 million / 16 over Ł1 million. Buyers (by lot / by origin) were 18% UK, 54% Europe not including UK, 26% Americas and 2% Asia.

Giovanna Bertazzoni, Director and Head of Impressionist and Modern Art, Christie’s London: “This evening’s results demonstrate the strength of this long established category of art. Its timeless appeal was illustrated by committed bidding from a deep pool of collectors from around the world who seized the opportunity to bid for rare and exceptional works, many of which were offered at auction for the first time in decades.”

Further leading highlights of the sale included:

·Les deux filles, a rare double portrait by Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) which was offered at auction for the first time having been acquired directly from the artist through his dealer over 90 years ago, and which sold for Ł6,537,250 / $9,400,566/ ˆ7,223,661, against a pre-sale estimate of Ł3.5 million to Ł5.5 million.

·L'abandon (Les deux amies), 1895, by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), one of the finest works by the artist to be offered at auction, realized Ł6,201,250 / $8,917,398 / ˆ6,852,381 (estimate: Ł5 million to Ł7 million).

·Les couturičres, 1890, by Edouard Vuillard (1868-1940), one of the seminal Nabi masterpieces which was painted when the artist was just 21 years old and which Ł5,081,250 / $4,306,838 / ˆ5,614,781 against a pre-sale Ł4.5 million to Ł6.5 million.

Elsewhere in the sale, La cuirasse d’or, circa 1907, a seductive portrait of a dancer by Kees van Dongen (1877-1968) sold for Ł2,897,250 / $4,166,246 / ˆ3,201,461 against an estimate of Ł1.5 million to Ł2.5 million; and Reclining Mother and Child by Henry Moore (1898-1986), one of an edition of seven plus one further cast described by David Sylvester as ‘possibly the greatest of Moore’s works in bronze’, realized Ł2,617,250 / $3,763,606 / ˆ2,892,061 (estimate: Ł1,500,000 to Ł2,000,000).